But Arkansas needed relief for every out to beat determined Dallas Baptist, 4-3, in Sunday night’s championship game before 9,775 at Baum Stadium.

With winning junior reliever Jake Reindl replacing struggling starter Isaiah Campbell on the game’s fourth batter with the bases loaded, then throwing 97 pitches through the seventh inning, and lefty closer Matt Cronin surviving a controversial ninth for a two-inning save, coach Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks advance as a 42-18 national seed hosting a Super Regional next weekend at Baum against the winner between South Carolina and UNC-Wilmington.

The winners of next week’s eight 2 of 3 Super Regionals advance to playing for the national championship at the College World Series in Omaha.

“Just had to make a quick decision,” Van Horn said. “I hated to make that move, but I felt like in the big picture that’s what we had to do. Isaiah didn’t have command of his fastball whatsoever. I just feel great that Jake came in and kind of had my back. Because if he gives up a double and a couple of singles, then it wasn’t a very good move.”

Obviously, with scant warm-up time, Reindl escaped that first inning allowing DBU just one run on Garrett Wolforth’s groundout.

“I threw maybe six or seven down in the pen,” Reindl said. “Coach walked out and said, 'Hey, you're in.' I was like, ‘Here we go.' It was really just kind of a bang-bang thing.”

Reindl allowed another infield out RBI in the second after a single, hit batsman and sac bunt.

He pitched out of a jams in the third and fourth. In the fifth with a strikeout, Reindl rescued left fielder Heston Kjerstad after Kjerstad’s two-out, two-base fly ball error.

Kjerstad rescued Reindl in the sixth. With a well-timed leap and reach over the fence, a soaring Kjerstad robbed Granberg of a would-be home run that by then would have tied the game that Arkansas led 3-2 after scoring one in the third and two in the fourth.
From the mound, Reindl tipped his hat Stage Left to Kjerstad.

“That was quite a catch!” Reindl said. “Off the bat I was like, ‘Yeah, that's probably gone. Yikes!’ Then I saw him come down with the ball and I gave him one of those (tipping his cap).”